Funny Motorsport Videos...

[nateh]

It's easy to criticize, but I doubt that most of us would do better. The fact that he looks relaxed says nothing about alertness. Taking a hand off the wheel to wave is also nothing to criticize. I would have put my hand back on the wheel after the wave, but the interval there was not very long.

The color of the deer nearly matches the side of the track (dusty tires). By the time it separates itself from the background, there seems to be only about 0.5 seconds to impact. The best athlete cannot get muscle response to a visual input in much less than 0.25 seconds, and devoting that time to getting his hand up to protect his face was absolutely the best thing for him to do. I'm not sure I'd have done that. This crash was inevitable once the deer decided to move, and any steering or braking by the driver would as likely made it worse as better.

Most people (I believe) don't keep their visor down in a closed car, for the simple reason that the visor fogs up. But based on this, I will probably start putting my visor down as far as I can without it fogging.

If that deer's foot had hit the driver's face, the visor wouldn't have helped a lot. But it would have protected against flying glass.

All that said - it's great to be reminded that our sport is full of surprises, and surprises are rarely welcome at speed.

[horizenjob]

no way he saw that deer.

He didn't see a deer standing on the side of the road in his braking zone? The car in front looked like it slowed more then it needed to, because the car that got hit gained a lot on it. Maybe I'm wrong, there isn't a previous lap there to compare it to.

It may look fuzzy in the video, but that's not a 3D image either. The thing is this is not some random back road, it's a route that driver is covering regularly. In fact he likely covered the same path a couple of minutes earlier.

It's easy to criticize, but I doubt that most of us would do better. The fact that he looks relaxed says nothing about alertness. Taking a hand off the wheel to wave is also nothing to criticize. I would have put my hand back on the wheel after the wave, but the interval there was not very long.

I suppose I'm doing the easy thing then. It just seems there is plenty there in the pictures to think about. I'm not trying to say I'd do better, but I wouldn't be thinking I couldn't have done better or that I shouldn't do better next time. He's in a big comfy car on a big comfy course. You have to work a bit at looking for things to do to keep your head in the game in that situation. If your going over a hundred in a hillclimb you probably don't look so relaxed, you spend less time with your hands off the wheel, and your working on keeping the car where you want it all the time. On a course like that in a big comfy car, you need to convince yourself to stay concentrated and place the car all the time.

So you mean those big cars with fenders *Don't* have little trays of finger sandwiches and hot / cold appetizers for snacking while your out on the track?

[naschmitz]

The car in front looked like it slowed more then it needed to, because the car that got hit gained a lot on it.

The black Corvette doesn't slow more than he needs to, he doesn't slow down at all until he's in the braking zone. He is just going much slower down the straight. Look how far ahead he is when the camera car turns onto the front straight. Oh yeah, you can see the deer from there. I forgot!

[Mark Swinehart]

When I reach my braking point for that corner I'm looking more to the left to set up for the right hand turn.

Of course a Nissan isn't going going as fast as the Corvette but I don't think at that point of the track I ever check the right side hill for deer. At that point I'm checking my mirrors and pointing people by. It looks like the Corvette had a BMW (?) on his tail as he was passing a car himself. With all that happening I doubt that I would have seen the deer.

[paultg]

I was assuming the red mustang that was passed slowed on the straight early to point the corvette by.

Paul G.

[horizenjob]

Oh yeah, you can see the deer from there. I forgot!

No need for sarcasm!

After the red Corvette hits the deer he stops completely before the entry to the turn. The black Corvette is on the brakes before the driver has reached all the way out on his wave. You can see the deer well ahead of the black car. It's even likely both the black Corvette and the red Mustang saw the deer and had at least taken their feet off the gas. That helps explain the huge closing speed. Even if the driver in the video was going 10 seconds a lap faster then the other cars, that might only be a 10-15 MPH difference. He would have been the last to be able to see the deer and I think he was just distracted by his closing speed with the other cars and his wave.

The deer is against a green background and visible before the driver reaches all the way out in his wave.

[boltonite]

[breakaway500]

I was wondering what that note said. He's lucky(?) it did not get tatooed on him (if the air bag had deployed)

[TroyV]

This isn't the first time that has happened at that spot. The vid doesn't seem to be up any more, but the same thing happened to a white Mustang at an SVT thing some years back. I believe the Mustang was a little further along than the deer and the deer's neck impacted the passenger A pillar. IIRC The head of the deer was severed and most of it was in the passenger seat. The car was totaled.

[nateh]

Payton Wilson's King Rat Motorsports Miata famously lost a windshield to a deer at the 2005 Summit Point 12 Hour. Pitted, cleaned out the glass and pulled out the fender, and continued with a fresh driver. Later, the rear window blew out - after which the car ran better, finishing 4th in class.

[John F]

The best athlete cannot get muscle response to a visual input in much less than 0.25 seconds, and devoting that time to getting his hand up to protect his face was absolutely the best thing for him to do. .

I don't believe I would ever take both hands off the wheel and cover my face during that situation. Maybe one to put the visor down or just a head duck, ( at least as far as the HANS allows) but I definitely would have a hand on the wheel!

[CP]

I saw a herd of deer running between T2 and T3 while on-track there during my SCCA school a few years ago. There is wildlife all over that place. You'd think they'd install a 6' chainlink fence around the facility or ask the local rednecks to camp out in the woods with booze and guns on a regular basis.

WRT this incident: driver may have been looking for the Mustang in his mirror and thus didn't see the animal. I'd be looking at the flag station at about the time of the impact/location of the car on the track. Am I the only one who wears a tinted face shield down all the time in my SM? I get tire worms and bugs coming throught the NACA duct in the vent window all the time. If yours fogs, crack it open a finger width and stop breathing so hot and heavy...you're not in the backseat with your high school prom victim.

[Mick]

Yikes!

phpBB [video]

[horizenjob]

local rednecks to camp out in the woods with booze and guns on a regular basis.

That's pretty much the end of the sports car drivers. They pretty much look like deer in the NASCAR / Daisy Duke / beer / deer classification system.

[Chrispy]

Very scary stuff. Tage is a good driver and his car was well prepped. The fire system worked but couldn't keep up with the flames coming up from under the car.